Packages



June 11, 1963 v. A. AHLBOR 3,093,292

PACKAGES Filed March 7, 1961 INVENTOR fkiien izfiziar BY mm W QATTO EY5 United States Patent 3,093,292 PACKAGES Valter A. Ahlbor, Bromma, Sweden, assignor to Arenco Aktiebolag, Vallingby, Sweden, a joint-stock company of Sweden Filed Mar. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 94,044 Claims priority, application Sweden Mar. 12, 1960 4 Claims. (Cl. 22951) This invention relates to packages preferably for cigarettes or the like and it is an object of the invention to provide packages having thin and relatively delicate walls with an improved seal adapted to form a two-part sealing means for the reclosure of the top end of the package after having been opened when breaking said seal.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of a package of the type referred to with a top end reinforcing and sealing strip one end portion of which can be utilized for providing a pocket into which the strip can be inserted when reclosing the package after having been opened by severing said end portion from an adjacent portion of said strip.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, and to the appended claims in which the novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 shows the upper end of a relatively thin sheet of paper or the like for forming a rectangular cigarette package;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the top of the package closed almost completely;

FIGURE 3 shows one embodiment of the sealing and reinforcing strip according to the invention;

FIGURE 4 shows the top of the finished package provided with the sealing and reinforcing strip;

FIGURE 5 shows the opened top of the package;

FIGURE 6 shows the reclosed top of the package.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing, the package blank is adapted to be folded in conventional manner on four longitudinal folding lines '1, 2, 3 and 4 to form a rectangular package which has a front wall 6, a rear wall 7 and two side walls 8 and 9 formed by the panels having the same reference numerals in FIGURE 1. The end panels 10, 11, 12 and 13 are then folded on the line 5 in the conventional manner in pairs against and down upon each other so that the package end will be closed by the end flaps having the same reference numerals in FIGURES 2 and 4. In the panels 6 and of the blank shown in FIGURE 1 a trapezoidal fracturable panel 14 is formed by perforated lines 15 and 16. In the finished package this trapezoidal panel 14 forms part of the flap 10 and extends slightly downwardly on the front wall 6 of the package.

When the top of the package has been closed by folding the flap 11 (FIGURE 2) down upon the flaps 10, 1'2 and 13 a T-shaped sealing and reinforcing strip 17 of a somewhat thicker and more rigid material, e.g. thin cardboard, is applied to the top. The strip 17 has two panels 19 and 20 separated by a folding line 18, and a tongue comprising a trapezoidal portion 21 and a rectangular transverse end portion 23 separated from the portion 2 1 by a partly slit fracturing line 24. The trapezoidal portion 21 is adapted to form a sealing tongue and the rectangular portion 23 has laterally extending flaps 27 and is adapted to form a pocket for the tongue 21.

On one of its faces the strip 17 has three adhesive zones 25 extending across the line 18 and on its opposite face the side flaps 27 of the rectangular end portion 23 each has a small adhesive zone 26. The rectangular end 3,093,292 Patented June 11, 1963 portion 23 is folded back along the slit folding line 24 upon the trapezoidal portion 21 so that all the adhesive zones 25 and 26 will be located on the same side of the strip 17 thus folded upon itself. The adhesive side of the folded strip 17 is applied to the top end of the package and its'rear end portion 19 is folded on the line 18 and applied and adheres to the upper end of the rear wall of the package, while its portion 20 adheres to the flap 11 and the side flaps of rectangular end portion 23 adhere to the front wall '6 of the package. The end portion 23 forms a pocket between said flaps adapted to receive an end of the sealing strip 17. The portion 20 and the trapezoidal end portion 21 of the strip 17 covers the fracturable top end panel 14 of the package.

When this package is to be opened for the removal of a cigarette, the fracturing folding line or edge 24 ,is ruptured so that the tapered portion 21 of the strip will form a freely projecting tongue by means of which the flap 11 is pulled up, whereafter the panel 14 is torn off along the fracturing lines 15 and 16 so that an opening A will be formed through which the cigarette Cv are easily accessible. The rectangular portion 23, nowhaving been severed from the tongue 21, remains adhering to the package wall 6 in the form of a strap which is adhesively secured by its ends to that wall so that it forms a pocket open at its top and bottom into which the free end of the trapezoidal tongue 21 can be inserted, as shown in FIGURE 6, when the package is to be reclosed.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herewith. The strip 17 can have other shapes than that shown and described. The narrow free end of the trapezoidal tongue is preferably somewhat wider than the panel 14 at the top edge of the wall 6, Le. the line 5 (FIGURE 1) whereby the entrance of the sealing tongue 21 through the opening A will be obviated. Alternatively, the removable flap panel 14 adheres to the flap 11 and tongue 21 so that it will be torn off automatically when said flap and tongue are folded up. While this package is particularly well adapted for cigarettes it can contain many other articles and granular or pulverous commodities, sweetmeats, etc.

I claim:

1. A receptacle made from flexible material and having back and front and side walls, said back and front walls having at one end thereof integral projecting flaps which are folded inwardly, said side walls also having integral projecting flaps folded inwardly, the projecting flap on said rear wall being folded over the front and side wall flaps and having a substantially T-shaped extension connected thereto and extending beyond said rear wall flap, said extension having an end portion having flaps projecting in opposite directions laterally beyond the adjacent part of said extension, said end portion being folded back along a transverse line against the inner face of said adjacent part of said extension and secured by said laterally extending flaps only to the front wall of the receptacle to form a pocket which, after severance from said extension receives said adjacent portion of said extension.

2. A receptacle made from flexible material and having back, and front and side walls, said back and front walls having at one end thereof integral projecting flaps which are folded inwardly, said side walls also having integral projecting flaps folded inwardly, the projecting flap on said rear wall being folded over the front and side wall flaps and having a sealing tongue secured thereto, said sealing tongue having a substantially T-shaped end portion provided with flaps projecting in opposite directions laterally beyond the adjacent part of said sealing tongue, said end portion being folded back along a 3 transverse line against the inner face of the said adjacent part of said tongue and secured by said laterally extending flaps only to the front wall of the receptacle which, after severance along said transverse line, forms a pocket receiving said adjacent portion of said strip.

3. A receptacle made from flexible material and having back and front and side walls, said back and front walls having at one end thereof integral projecting closure flaps which are folded inwardly, said side walls also having integral projecting flaps folded inwardly, the closure flap on said rear wall being folded over the front and side wall flaps and having a substantially T-shaped extension connected with said rear wall closure flap and which has an end portion having flaps projecting in op posite directions latenally beyond the adjacent part of said extension, said end portion being folded back along a transverse line against the inner face of said adjacent part of said extension and secured by said lateral projections only to the front wall of the receptacle to form a pocket which, after severance of said end portion from said extension along said line, receives said adjacent portion of said extension, said end portion being positioned between said front wall of the receptacle and said adjacent part of said extension.

4. A receptacle made from flexible material and having back and front and side walls, said back and front walls having at one end thereof integral projecting flaps which are folded inwardly, said side walls also having integral projecting flaps folded inwardly, the closure flap on said rear wall being folded over the front and side wall flaps, a substantially T-shaped extension connected with said rear wall closure flap and which has an end portion having flaps projecting in opposite directions laterally beyond the adjacent part of said extension, said end portion being folded back along a transverse line against the inner face of said adjacent part of said extension and secured by said laterally extending flaps only to the front wall of the receptacle to form a pocket which, after severance of said end portion from said extension along said line, receives said adjacent portion of said extension, said extension having a trapezoidal portion tapering towards said end portion, the dimension of which trapezoidal portion between opposite edges of its tongues is substantially equal to the width of the base end of said trapezoidal portion.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,109,100 Brophy Feb. 22, 1938 2,213,666 Burke Sept. 3, 1940 2,445,001 Pence July 13, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 708,750 Great Britain May 12, 1954 808,056 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1959 

1. A RECEPTACLE MADE FROM FLEXIBLE MATERIAL AND HAVING BACK AND FRONT AND SIDE WALLS, SAID BACK AND FRONT WALLS HAVING AT ONE END THEREOF INTEGRAL PROJECTING FLAPS WHICH ARE FOLDED INWARDLY, SAID SIDE WALLS ALSO HAVING INTEGRAL PROJECTING FLAPS FOLDED INWARDLY, THE PROJECTING FLAP ON SAID REAR WALL BEING FOLDED OVER THE FRONT AND SIDE WALL FLAPS AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY T-SHAPED EXTENSION CONNECTED THERETO AND EXTENDING BEYOND SAID REAR WALL FLAP, SAID EXTENSION HAVING AN END PORTION HAVING FLAPS PROJECTING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS LATERALLY BEYOND THE ADJACENT PART OF SAID EXTENSION, SAID END PORTION BEING FOLDED BACK ALONG A TRANSVERSE LINE AGAINST THE INNER FACE OF SAID ADJACENT PART OF SAID EXTENSION AND SECURED BY SAID LATERALLY EXTENDING FLAPS ONLY TO THE FRONT WALL OF THE RECEPTACLE TO FORM A POCKET WHICH, AFTER SEVERANCE FROM SAID EXTENSION RECEIVES SAID ADJACENT PORTION OF SAID EXTENSION. 